Twenty Five and in Love
by Faircrown
Summary: Shikamaru faces complications on his birthday. Two resident morons of the village, troublesome teammates, deranged clowns and a pink haired beauty. Happy Birthday, Shikamaru!


**Twenty Five and in Love**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Originally Published in**:

09-05-12

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**Author's Note: **_This is an updated version of the story I wrote two years ago. Hopefully, it is better. No-beta.__  
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A loud chorus of "_Happy Birthday, Shikamaru_!" greeted him when he entered the club. All shinobi his age and a fair amount of younger and older alike raised their alcoholic beverages with happy, drunken smiles on their faces. Confetti were shot haphazardly into the air and some got caught in the spikes of his black hair. Whoops and whistles reached his ears as a big blob of red and brown grabbed and dragged him into the crowd. The intermingled smell of alcohol and sweat and too many people instantly assaulted his nostrils as he inhaled and exhaled, bracing himself for the impact. Hands slapped his back playfully and a few fists punched his arms lightly if not forcefully. They were sporting big celebratory grins on each visage. His face however was pulled blank, feeling unamused.

"_Aww_, come on Shikamaru. Lighten up! We gathered everyone here to celebrate you!"

And by everyone Chouji must've meant the whole village considering the sheer number of somewhat familiar and not so familiar faces around him. Not exactly the 'everyone' he had had in mind. Since the minute he stepped inside the packed club the only one he recognized were Chouji and the remaining of Konoha 11. Others were people he had probably worked with or had encountered in his time of life. Wait, that guy hollering his name was the guy he saved from that murderous pan-wielding wife who found out he was cheating on her, wasn't it? He shook his head and muttered something incoherent under his breath, probably throwing colourful words to his big and husky friend for life from the Akimichi clan.

"I'm sorry but Ino and Naruto made me do it. You know how they are," Chouji said offering him an apologetic smile.

Before Shikamaru could say something someone had pulled him by his arms away from Chouji.

"Shikamaru, my man! Happy getting old!"

Kiba grinned widely showing rows of canine teeth and slapping the pineapple haired man repeatedly in the back. Shikamaru could only glower but the sight of Ino instantly made him pull a fake content smile that could give Sai a run for his money. It would be safer for him if he pretended to enjoy the night rather than sulking and complaining because the loud mouthed blonde would definitely give him an earful in the following morning for sure.

Troublesome.

Ino bounded gracefully towards him wearing a dress that was surely too tight and short to be legal in a village like Konoha. However, time and experience had taught him to always compliment a girl's dress – Ino's especially – even if they looked like they could use a bit more of the material to cover up. It was not the straightest thing he'd ever thought of but there was always a thing as too much skin exposure. Kiba would surely disagree judging from the way his eyes roaming appreciatively over the exposed slopes and curves of his surrogate sister.

"Shika, Happy birthday! I can't wait for you to open up your presents! Look!" Ino squealed joyously pointing a well-manicured finger towards a pile of wrapped boxes.

Shikamaru just shrugged and said his thanks. After fending off (or rather smiling awkwardly while thanking people under Ino's hawk-like stare) the never-ending streams of birthday wishes, he retreated into a silent corner with a drink wishing that he could just disappear into thin air. Looking at the drink before him, he lifted the glass and sniffed. It didn't smell strong what with the sweet sugary and lime smell hiding the alcoholic scent perfectly. He took his first sip of the mixture, cold and icy, slightly sweet and tangy against his lips. He held the drink in his mouth for just a moment and let the ice and slip of lime pulp wallow against his tongue, and he felt like a man in solitary kissing his first woman in ten years.

However, before he could enjoy his refuge, Konoha 11 all squeezed into the small corner ceremoniously. He held his groan in his throat and simply watched his friends as he contemplate sleeping right then and there. His eyes though unwittingly scanned through all of them looking for something pink but when they didn't see any, he just settled his sight irately over the small corner table.

In an instant, multiple conversations fired off from everywhere deafening his ears. Kiba and Naruto were bantering loudly over the table and the girly giggles were itching his ears. Chouji was too busy chomping on a new bag of chicken flavoured chips noisily next to him to even notice his discomfort. He slumped low in his seat trying with all his might to ignore his boisterous surrounding.

"Hey, where's Sakura?"

The mention of the pink haired medic perked his ears. Now that he thinks of it, he didn't see Sakura around and the room was too crowded for him to detect her chakra signature. He noticed of course that the monstrous healer's presence were absent but he had thought that the woman had probably gone off to get some drink at the bar but something at the back of his mind chided him for his hopeful notions.

Sai said something but it was drowned by the deafening background music, thumping in the background like irregular heartbeats. Both Naruto and Kiba yelled simultaneously,

"WHAT?"

"I SAID UGLY IS AT THE HOSPITAL! SHE'S OPERATING A SURGERY"

"_AHHH_… OKAY!"

Shikamaru, who was sitting next to Naruto and in front of Kiba had to cover his ears in fear of a permanent hearing loss. These knuckleheads, despite being ninja, clearly do not know the true value of silence, peace and serenity. Sure on the field they were great and highly efficient but off of duty, they were the village resident morons. Considering the place they were in Shikamaru thought he could let their grating loudness slide but even during normal times, this was their default volume.

The group ordered rounds and rounds of alcoholic beverages chatting noisily. He of course partook in none of those but occasionally joined in when Ino forced him to. He wasn't going to bother but when he saw Tenten, Lee and Hinata, he thought he should at least make an effort. Neji's death had took them years to recover from and seeing them genuinely enjoying the night, he figured he should too. Unfortunately, it required tremendous effort.

The shadow user grimaced when the two baka of the group had started to brawl across the table knocking down drinks and snacks everywhere. The girls squealed in fear of getting mess on their party dresses while the others simply egged the boys to continue with their playful brawl. Ino fumed and glared at them disapprovingly but the duo ignored her. They rolled around as Shino muttered silent conversations to his insects while standing in the corner feeling left out, Chouji showering his precious chips all over them in a drunken stupor and Lee exclaiming loud youthful claims to cheer them on.

Drunk shinobi, really.

When a drink was finally spilled on Ino's dress, she screamed and promptly ran towards the ladies room grabbing Tenten with her. Well, at least there'll be no more incessant giggling, Shikamaru thought as he jammed a pinkie into his right ear where he received the full blow of Ino's banshee-like shriek. He glanced at Hinata and saw her slowly getting up to go after Ino before warning Naruto timidly to not get hurt. Naruto of course just shot her a wide grin and flashed her a thumbs up though Shikamaru doubted that he was going to heed her words. The only person that could force Naruto into behaving was Sakura and that usually required a sharp knock to the head and a loud threat.

Surely enough, after Hinata was out of sight the blonde knucklehead continued his scuffle with Kiba. Naruto landed on top of Shikamaru's foot so he kicked the loud blonde away back into the messy brawl. Kiba caught him and rolled over again trying to do whatever he could with the equally obnoxious man. When the dog-nin had somehow crashed into the wall, he gave out a battle cry and called for reinforcements in the form of Shino. Shino was hesitating Shikamaru noticed. When Shino said "no" claiming that Kiba had forgotten about him before and walked out of the room leaving a dumbstruck Inuzuka, Naruto burst out laughing so hard he fell on fours pounding his fist on the floor. Shikamaru, despite feeling annoyed, found himself smirking at the display.

"You think that's funny?!" Kiba shouted.

Naruto ignored him in favour of falling on his back, rolling side to side clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter while kicking his legs in the air.

"You blonde gorilla! I'll get you!" Kiba exclaimed and once more jumped on top of Naruto.

"The heck, dog breath! Here, take _this_! And _that_!"

Both showered poorly aimed punches towards each other. They were idiots with no brains Shikamaru decided.

Having had enough of the situation, he slipped out of the corner and backed out into the overcrowded club. Trying so hard to be stealthy, he went towards the exit. His attempt to escape was once again foiled by none other than Genma Shiranui, a Jounin with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing his standard Jounin outfit sans the vest.

"Hey, hey, hey! Look what we have here; a 25 years old Shikamaru Nara! Congrats kid!" Genma cheered rolling the senbon in his mouth to the side.

He couldn't tell if Genma was drunk or was just drenched in the contagious happiness that permeated the air like poison. The older man slung his arm around Shikamaru's shoulders, dragged him to the bar and forced him down on the stool. Disgruntled, he tried to pry the arm around him off. Genma laughed and retrieved his arm back but not without rubbing his knuckles on Shikamaru's head as if he was 5 years old.

"So kid, what do you want? My treat!"

"I already had a drink," Shikamaru replied.

"_Aww_, come on. Don't be like that! It's not every day you turn 25!" Genma cheerfully exclaimed and ordered two shots of tequila.

Shikamaru just shrugged. It was troublesome but at least it was less crowded here so he relaxed a bit and accepted the drink, downing it in one go.

"Atta boy. Hey, another shot please!"

Shikamaru gradually felt heat shooting into his system. He declined the shot and instead, ordered a beer. He didn't drink it immediately though, trying to stay sober as long as he could.

"So… any plans? Any girls to take your mind off?"

Shikamaru raised a questioning eyebrow at Genma.

"No. Why?"

If the man beside him was referring about getting laid and getting frisky with some girls than no, of course not. He's not the kind of man. Well, not much of a kind anyway. No way in denying he had used several pickup lines to get girls and bed them. Genma's usually the one who was his wingman too so really… but no. Not this time. It was still too soon.

"Then you wanna help me?"

Fine, just humour him and he'll be gone and you'll be gone. Gone from this place, he thought.

"The target?"

Genma grinned eyeing the shadow user mischievously as he took a sip of the drink in hand; a cocktail, he had downed the shot of vodka just minutes ago before ordering a new drink. Shikamaru was up for a game.

"Cherry Blossom."

Shikamaru choked on air. Genma laughed even harder and patted the choking man's back.

"She's off limit."

"Says who?"

Well, there was of course Lady Tsunade, Naruto and Lee, and perhaps Kakashi. He wasn't sure about Ino since the troublesome woman was a sex fiend and would probably encourage her pink haired friend to stop being a prude. Then there was of course that fan club of hers. Along her journey to become the greatest medic Kunoichi in all of Five Great Shinobi Countries, she had picked up quite a number of admirers and they had raised her high on a pedestal. Nothing short of innocence is fitting for their pink-haired angel, he was sure. Despite her sometimes unorthodox methods (he remembered when she had dragged him from the Nara compound all the way to the hospital while he clawed the ground desperately), she saves and heals and her compassion had enticed many to protect her, despite her abilities to destroy mountains in her sleep.

Sakura Haruno the once outcast member of Team 7?

Nope.

She's legendary now, surpassing even the Hokage herself. Extremely strong. Way too strong. She'd _crush_ him if she ever found out he played a role in Genma's future escapades featuring her.

"She's not here anyway," Shikamaru mumbled sorely and drank from his glass.

"Ah… too bad," Genma sighed and let his eyes scour the room. He smirked and shot a knowing glance towards Shikamaru. He was actually trying to rile a reaction out of the genius Nara but as usual, the lazy man was unmoved. But Genma had no way of knowing about Shikamaru's distress with the pink-haired kunoichi. No one knew. So Shikamaru didn't take offense from his lewd suggestion.

"Okay, how about that woman over there. She's quite the looker."

Shikamaru, too lazy to move just created a clone and worked his magic. It was the 'spill the drink onto her and leaves like a jerk only for Genma to come in and act like a gentleman' number. Really, it was so simple. And if the girl was playing hard to get, pops up again and try to seduce her offensively and rudely and the main role will come and 'defend' her and then bingo! He got her.

Now that Genma was happy in the arms of a woman, quite literally, he ordered another drink and rested his head on the wooden counter waiting. If he could only tune out the booming music in the background he could definitely go to sleep.

"Shikamaru, what do you think you are doing?!" A screeching banshee interrupted his nap.

"Damn it, woman. Leave me alone," he grumbled into his folded arms.

"This is _your_ party! You should entertain everyone here!"

"Tch. Hell no."

Should he dump his drink on her dress, act like it was an accident so that she would run off to the bathroom again and leave him alone? Before he could decide, Ino weaved her polished and manicured fingers into Shikamaru's neatly tied hair and pulled his head up forcefully.

"Go, Shikamaru. Or else."

When she released his head, he rubbed it complaining about woman being so demanding in general.

"And I thought this was my birthday, yeesh…"

"What did you say?!"

He flinched and mumbled,

"Nothing. I said nothing."

Shikamaru sped off quickly landing himself into the crowd raunchily grinding with each other to the beat of the music. He didn't mean to join the crowd but in his haste to escape Ino, he had accidentally ran towards the heart of the club where much of the bawdy dancing was taking place. He saw a neon green sign that signalled EXIT and made it his ultimate destination. If he ducked his head low enough, Ino would lose sight of him.

Unfortunately for him, a woman suddenly attached herself onto him dancing away as if a mouse was scurrying inside of her clothes. Suddenly, she lifted her arms and wrapped it around his neck and proceeded to grind into him. Feeling flustered from the non-existing space and sweaty bodies, he pushed the woman away gently. But the woman just pulled back adamantly hanging onto his body and started to thrash around wildly.

Very close. She was very close to him. It was like she was trying to stick herself and her clown-painted face (oh, that was her makeup) to his chest. It wasn't what he would normally do to women seeing as it was highly disrespectful and rude but he had to pull the limbs that were strangling him and pushed the woman away like she was a disease. The exit was too far away and there were too many wriggling bodies blocking his path.

His mission right now was to find a room and strategize an escape plan.

He looked around and found himself in the males' bathroom. Thank god. He could've ended up in a room where people were making out and procreating so he was really glad to just be in this bathroom. The stalls were empty; the white marble-like of the toilet looks shiny under the neon light. However, there were no windows. No _fucking _windows for his ultimate escape. What sort of a bathroom doesn't have any windows? He cursed silently. Guess he was stuck here then.

Shikamaru went to the sink and turned the faucet letting water fill in his cupped hands before splashing it all onto his slightly sweaty face. He rubbed the back of his neck and pulled down his hair only to retie it securely. It had come loose when he was thrown into the crowd and when the crazy female clown jumped on him like a monkey suffering from rabies.

God, when he walked into the club, he expected to walk in, get a drink and get out; not get thrown around the club watching a dog and a gorilla fight, wingman-ing a guy and getting hogged by a delirious clown. He wondered what had led him into this situation today.

When he woke up in the morning, he had decided that he was going to train and then watch clouds for the rest of the day since it was, after all, his birthday. He had actually woken up earlier than usual and had quickly gotten ready and rushed out of the Nara compound. It wasn't that he was excited to begin the day. Oh no. He was actually trying to escape his teammates who were surely to ambush him in his bedroom and drag him around Konoha for whatever 'fun things to do' they'd fit in in today's schedule. They had probably noticed his more than usual disgruntled disposition and decided to cheer him up, especially since today was his birthday. He was fine really but Ino wouldn't let him dismiss her just like that (despite not knowing what the hell was going on anyway that had caused him to be so upset) and had convinced Chouji to participate in her schemes. That was why he had woken up early and had gone directly to the training grounds. He performed a couple of kata and proceeded to practice with his shadows, jabbing them into tree barks surrounding him.

He was able to fit in 3 hours of training before he heard Ino's loud talking in the distance followed by the ripping of a potato chips bag. He promptly clouded his chakra and took off into the forest, taking the long way around it to the other side of the village. He had climbed up the Hokage monument and had hidden in Tsunade's nose, overseeing the clouds in the small cave.

"Hiding from someone?" An amused drawl came from Tsunade's other nostril.

"Ino and Chouji. You?"

"Sakura. I have my shots today."

Shikamaru resisted his frown but nodded sympathetically before closing his eyes, enjoying the silent company of Copy Ninja Kakashi. Despite himself, he dreamt of lying in a green field with pink cotton candy clouds in the sky. Gentle healing touches of the breeze calmed him as a familiar laughter in the background serenaded him to sleep.

He knew his peace wouldn't last long. Ino had the tenacity of a barnacle and when she was determined to find the lazy ninja, she would find him. When the loud screaming of his female teammate had awoken him from his peaceful slumber, he groaned.

"I think you've been found," Kakashi said.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt your peace," Shikamaru grimaced and apologized on behalf of his teammate.

Kakashi told him not to worry and asked if he could kindly leave before Ino spot him and decides to report to Sakura. Shikamaru just nodded and left the solitude of the nostril to greet his teammates. There was no use in avoiding them for long anyway. His attempt was futile at best and he already knew it the minute he woke up but decided that there was no harm in trying Kakashi's favourite sport.

Then Ino had dragged him to go shopping around Konoha for his gift with Chouji in tow. The troublesome woman had bought him something but then ultimately decided to use Shikamaru as a manual labour to hold her shopping bags as she continue to go in stores after stores (a usual occurrence in their outings). They had somehow bumped into Naruto along the way and when the female blonde had reminded Naruto that it was Shikamaru's birthday today, they had decided to organize a party at some club. The lazy Nara declined but after much horrific persuasion from the two blondes, he finally relented especially when they said only Konoha 11 would participate in the party. Shikamaru should've figured that they would forego a small party and invite half of the Konoha population instead.

So now, he found himself spending the evening stuck in the bathroom trying to figure out how he can escape this club. He figured he should've stick around but there wasn't much reason to. And when Genma had mentioned trying to hook up with Sakura he felt like he didn't want to stay around to watch even though he did feel slightly let down that she wasn't around right now to celebrate his birthday along with his other friends. Sai said she was at the hospital. Knowing the medic, she wouldn't leave until the sun rises.

"Hey! Shikamaru, there you are! We've been looking everywhere for ya," Naruto shouted stumbling through the door of the bathroom. His face was red from the alcohol and purple from Kiba's fists.

"Come on, man. Let's _PARRRRTAAAY_!"

Naruto exclaimed punching the air and doing the Margarita. He truly did look like an idiot.

_Why me? I do charity works, I never disobey my mum. I even treat women right. I complain a lot but only because everything is just so troublesome. But God, just… why me? Is it because I kill for a living? I can always stop._

Shikamaru thought and pleaded with the spiritual force from above. When Naruto grabbed him and pulled him into the crowd he knew his prayers were ignored. The Jinchūriki led him through the pulsating throng and pushed him into a woman dancing away into the night (though not gracefully or attractively in anyway) and was horrified to find she was exactly like the clown he had 'danced' from before. A relative of her, perhaps. Oh, they were punishing him. They were punishing him real bad.

The Nara clansman spent a surprisingly 15 minutes to break off from the delirious woman and wasted no time, ignoring Ino's glaring daggers and shrill calls, making a mad dash towards the exit. He forced chakra into his feet and used his ANBU skills to manoeuvre his way out forcefully and fast. So close. Just a few metres more! He could see the 'Exit' blinding but comforting sign. Just a step away now and…

FREEDOM!

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Freedom, he imagined, was a rush of wind and a breath of fresh air. The feeling you get when you managed to escape the clutches of evil clowns, the yells of the unintelligent mass and the suffocating air of reeking alcohol and happiness that was the club behind him. Freedom, in actuality, felt like running headlong into a wall and stumbling over your own two feet.

When he had rammed through the door he had expected to run into a wide open space, arms spread out and smiling widely as if he had won a race. Instead, he had crashed into someone and they were both sent sprawling into a tangled mess on the ground. Shikamaru groaned and tried to put a hand on his head to ease the blinding pain. Synapses currently not working as they were used to failed to recognize that he had in fact had a smoother landing than the person below him. He tried to get up but a sense of vertigo caught him by surprise causing him to drop one hand onto the ground to steady himself. He tried to push up but a soft, squishy feeling halted his movements. Wondering what he had in his hand – but not bothering to look down in favour of clutching his head that was giving him a massive headache with his other hand – he gave an experimental light squeeze in an attempt to discern what the object was.

In the few seconds that followed, Shikamaru registered three things: 1) A feminine shriek, 2) a sharp force from below hitting his jaw upwards and 3) the sudden feeling of being airborne.

He crash landed several feet away, hitting a trashcan and falling into a lifeless heap. Something at the back of his mind told him that it was in his best interest to just lay there and play dead but still he choked out a painful groan.

"What the…?" He moaned but promptly stop when a blinding pain exploded in his face.

_Fuck, it hurts like hell_. He registered the pain far too quickly but the worried voice that called for him sailed over his hearing senses. He couldn't open his eyes due to his tightly scrunched up face. He felt like he should do something smart and start getting up to defend himself in case more sudden attacks comes his way but his disorientated and alcohol subdued mind had a hard time processing his thoughts. He wasn't in any actual danger but Shikamaru had no way of knowing that.

"_Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod_! I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I'm so sorry!"

A hand touched his shoulder and he jerked away in reflex. He immediately stood up but couldn't for some strange reason. Turned out someone was holding his wrists tightly and preventing movements. He cursed himself. He didn't consume that much alcohol to warrant this much misdirection in his senses, did he?

"Shikamaru, can you hear me?"

The voice sounded eerily familiar. It was like that song he really liked that was stuck in his mind as he waits desperately for it to fade away so he can change to a new tune or simply shut the radio off completely.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay? Did I break anything? _I'm so sorry_!"

Finally recognizing the voice, he pulled his head up and opened his eyes. Pink and really green eyes greeted him. Worry marred her beautiful visage, the corners of her pretty pink lips pulled downwards. He glanced down and sure enough, her deceptively dainty hands were holding his wrists in steel-like grips. She was knelt in between his legs, one stretched out and the other slightly raised to his chest. Despite the situation, he felt his heart stutter from the startling proximity and the back of his neck burned with heat, much to his chagrin.

'_I'm okay, Sakura'_ was what he wanted to say but his jaw felt like it was grinding from bone to bone. She had miraculously broken his jaw. Blood flowed out of his mouth in rivulets and his cheeks became swollen in mere minutes. He also couldn't see clearly and wondered if the startling clarity of her vision was only his imagination coming to play, mocking him of his predicaments. Regardless, she noticed that he was hurt and without wasting any time she quickly let go of his hands and raised hers up to meet his face.

"Here, let me heal you."

Sakura offered reaching closer to him. He tried to stay still and if there was an option of leaning further back, he would've taken it. As it was, his back was already pressed uncomfortably to the bent trash can that was squashed between him and the club's wall.

Her right hand slipped behind him to support his neck and the other one cupped his chin. Green light flowed from her cool hands and seeped directly into his rough skin. He didn't know what she was doing and she offered no explanation in favour of concentrating on her work.

"Bloodshot eyes, possible damage to the zygomatic arch…" she murmured as she prodded him with her chakra. "Mandibular body fracture, of course."

He wasn't going to pretend he understood any of that. All he could register was the sudden numbness that started to spread around his face and neck area.

Her cool chakra weaved into his jawbone and he marvelled for a second at how her energy seemed to ease into him slowly and peacefully, unlike many other medics whose chakra oftentimes felt intrusive and unbearably hot. He wondered if Sakura's compassionate nature plays a role in this or if she had just spent more effort in order to make her patients be more at ease. Shikamaru rarely get injured and when he did, Ino or some other medic were always the one to patch him up. The only time he had had Sakura fix him was during the war and when he had been mortally wounded after an S-ranked mission several years ago but he had been knocked out cold and unresponsive on both account to remember what being treated by Sakura felt like. Then, some other medic covered for her in his follow up care afterwards. Ino wasn't harsh in her healing nor was she as gentle as Sakura, he noticed. He felt himself liking the strange sensation as his jaw was being healed but he reminded himself not to feel attached.

"Finished. But don't move your jaw yet. It's still tender and will need a week or so to settle," she declared and he nodded mutely.

He stared at her as her delicate pink eyebrows scrunched together, her eyes watching carefully for his reaction. When he gave none, she concluded that her treatment was complete, and it was. His jaw felt just like it was an hour ago if only a little numb and stinging and his teeth – which he was sure was threatening to fall out before – was firm and attached. Being a man in his prime, he didn't fancy being toothless. Medical jutsu, he admired, was a wonderful thing. A civilian doctor would've probably told him that his healing would take months but Sakura fixed him in a matter of minutes (30 minutes to be exact and that was still a vast difference).

However, there was too much blood and saliva in his mouth and he wanted to spit it out, but can't because the troublesome woman was still kneeling in front of him between his legs. Seeing his puffed cheeks she immediately understood his predicament and hastily stood up and stepped back. He turned his head to the side and quickly spitted out the bloody content.

"Don't speak, we still need to bandage you to make sure it doesn't dislocate again," she warned him. "Hold your jaw, like this."

She then grabbed his hand and put his palm securely on his chin, telling him to push it slightly as if to keep his jaw from slacking. While he took note of her orders, he also allowed himself the guilt of enjoying the sensation of her hands on him. Soft and warm, unlike his own calloused touches.

"We need to go to the hospital since I don't have my equipment with me."

Shikamaru shook his head and simply pointed to the general direction of his apartment near the Nara compound. Sakura didn't have to hear him say anything for her to understand that the place was closer, even if it was quite far but then the hospital would be even farther.

Sakura just nodded, helped Shikamaru up and they started to walk there. They didn't say anything to each other out of embarrassment. Sakura was as red as her shirt but when she glanced to the side, she could only see the image of Shikamaru sleeping while walking with his palm holding his chin. She could only bite her tongue from making a comment on his lackadaisical manner. It was typical Shikamaru fashion to act like this and she couldn't punch him as freely as she could punch Naruto or Sai and definitely not after she had just injured him. So she silently huffed and wrapped her arms around her as the cold wind blew by.

Unbeknownst to her, Shikamaru was trying hard to breathe calmly and keep his face blank. Walking beside her hadn't been a strenuous activity until now. He wasn't too drunk to be swaying from side to side like a drunkard but he was drunk enough to have unbidden thoughts assaulting his mind. The wind had blew past them and picked up the scent of fresh daisies and hospital disinfectant, which for some reason, had enticed him to edge closer towards her. When he realized what he was doing, he shrugged his vest off and threw them deftly around Sakura with the purpose of stopping the scent from spreading. He heard her murmur a thank you and immediately stamped down the smile that threatened to break across his face.

They finally reached a very nice building and the Nara led her inside. They climbed a few flights of stairs, dodged a crazy cat and finally stopped at apartment number 352. He realized that his keys were in his vest and turned to Sakura, pointing at the right breast pocket. He saw her flinch and he cursed inwardly. That was probably the place where his hand had made a soft landing and unknowingly groped before. He tried to ignore the adorable (and admittedly slightly scary) flush on her face and waited as she pulled the keys out of the pocket and gave it to him.

He pushed the key into the hole and twisted. The door flung open and he invited her in with a lazy gesture. He turned on the light to reveal a very clean and simple place, just like the owner. Sakura had been to his home before; the first time during the housewarming party, several others when Ino decided to use his bigger apartment for a get-together and that one time when he had invited her to spend some time together alone. She blushed at the memory and quickly pushed it aside as fast as it came. There weren't many furniture; just a sofa, a table and a set of television. Ino had tried to make the place more homely by adding some potted cactus near the window. A great choice of plant knowing well that the shadow user couldn't be bothered to water them. It reminded her of Naruto, who had Mr Ukki in his home.

Shikamaru grabbed the first aid kit and placed it on the table. He sat on the sofa and waited for Sakura.

"Let me wash my hands first," she said and went to the kitchen which was just behind the spacious living room. She already knew the way around the house from her previous visits so Shikamaru didn't bother showing her.

When she came back, she quickly went straight to work. He closed his eyes and paid no attention to Sakura's ministrations. He tried to pull his mind out of his daze, focusing on shogi tactics instead of her clinical touches and questions, which he unwantedly imagined as gentle caresses and easy conversation. Distractions were usually so easy to dismiss but when it comes to Sakura, it was as if someone had layered genjutsu upon genjutsu on his being. It was hard to break and it was something he couldn't understand. He was functional and effective. This shouldn't be that big of a challenge to overcome.

When she finally declared that she was finished, he opened his eyes and saw his reflection from the turned off TV screen how incredibly well mummified he looked.

"You were also bleeding at the back of your head. The lid of the trashcan had probably cut you," she explained.

"Geez, Sakura… you don't just attack someone, you know," Shikamaru grumbled.

The medic flushed considerably red, crossed her arms and retorted,

"I didn't attack you! It was self-defence! You fell on top of me and touched my – my chest! Of course I slapped you!"

That was a slap? He was sure it was a punch, one filled with chakra at that but he let it drop. Sakura would pummel him senselessly if he commented on her violent tendecies. Years of watching Naruto and Sai from the side lines had taught him a very valuable lesson: do not cross Haruno Sakura.

"And don't talk! You'll put all my handwork to waste."

"Sorry, I didn't know it was your… chest. I was disorientated. It won't happen again," Shikamaru ignored her warning and apologized in return.

He supposed her argument was correct. No women should be touched like that. He could only hope that he can forget that wonderful soft and plush feeling of her breast. He made sure to keep his narrow brown eyes on her face even though he was tempted to let it slide lower.

Sakura's stiff body slowly relaxed and she calmed down, slowly letting her arms fall to her lap.

"Are you sure you're all right? Does it still hurt? Are you seeing fine?"

She asked still worried. Shikamaru shook his head.

"I've had worse," and when he saw her eyes narrowed he placated her, "I'm fine, Sakura."

Although he shouldn't be talking, Sakura let him because she knew it wouldn't affect him by much if he only keep speaking in his lazy drawls. An awkward silence wrapped them just for the briefest moment before Sakura broke it.

"Sorry I was late. I got caught up in the hospital. There was a scheduled operation," she gave a sigh. "And now, we're not at the club because I punched you."

"I thought you said it was a slap."

"Would you like one?"

Shikamaru shook his head and Sakura thought it was quite wise of him. She smiled.

"Do you mind if I go make some tea? I'm quite beat and thirsty."

"Go ahead."

Shikamaru watched her enter the kitchen again and realized that her chakra was incredibly low. She also looked like a mummy herself; tired eyes, tired body, moving almost mechanically. Sighing, he got up and opened his fridge, taking out the cake that his mother had sent over yesterday. He saw her eyeing the cake and decided that it was a good idea to feed the medic, less she become insufferable. It was just a poor excuse on his part when in truth, he simply wanted to feed her. The whole idea to him sounded really… domestic. Shikamaru didn't like the fact that he liked it when Sakura casually uses his kitchen, as if she belonged there – belonged here, in his house. But it was something that couldn't be helped. He kept his chauvinistic thoughts to himself though, he always does. When Sakura was done with the tea, they wordlessly went back to the living room.

"Here, eat."

Sakura sent him an appreciative gaze and took the cake from him, smiling wide when she realized that it was strawberry cheesecake; her absolute favourite. She devoured the whole thing gladly and Shikamaru tried hard not to stare. She must've been hungrier than he thought but there was nothing he can do. If he opened the fridge again, he'd only be able to stare mournfully into the empty cold space. He forgot to do grocery shopping so basically there was nothing that he could cook for her but he knew she would've told him not to bother, and that she'd eat when she gets home.

"So, what happened?"

Shikamaru glanced at her and shrugged. She was probably referring to his hasty exit from the club.

"I wanted to get home."

"So early? I was about to join you guys. Which reminds me, do you think Ino would be mad if she finds out we're here instead of there?"

"It was too crowded and I was getting drunk. I'm on duty tomorrow," Shikamaru explained, ignoring the mild buzz in his jaw as he was talking. "I don't care if she gets mad."

"I see. You should get some days off. I'll write you the MC and have someone send it to Tsunade."

He raised his shoulders and let them fall again indolently in true Shikamaru fashion. Silence suddenly creep on them and Shikamaru tried desperately to welcome it. Sakura sipped her tea from the steaming mug idly but he realized that there was something bothering her. Her eyes were downcast and her shoulders slumped guiltily.

"Sorry for ruining your night, Shikamaru. On your birthday too."

"Aa, it's not a big deal. A bit troublesome but whatever," when she didn't lift her eyes off her feet he quickly asked, "How was the surgery?"

If there was anything that could keep her talking, it was her work. She was dedicated and married to it. It was safe ground for Sakura. Predictably, she smiled and launched into her description of some metastatic brain tumour removal. Shikamaru had no idea what it was and whether it was even possible but her flowing chatter eased him. She really looked guilty before and with something to distract her, it kept him from feeling uneasy.

As he listens, he noticed that she wasn't wearing any makeup, well maybe just some hastily applied mascara and pink lip gloss but that was it. All the girls he saw tonight wore tonnes of something on their face with the exception of Hinata so it was somewhat pleasing to see Sakura so comfortable in her own skin. She was beautiful. The years had been extremely kind to her. She wore a simple sleeveless red top that clung to her slim body and a black skirt that revealed just enough of long white creamy legs. It was modest but could be sexy, if she tried. He knew her skin was as soft and silky as it looked but he resisted the urge to rest his hand on her thigh. He didn't have that privilege anymore. The absence of the lucky charm on her right wrist was proof enough.

He quickly averted his eyes and paid attention to her face instead but it was just as distracting as her figure. He doesn't understand why his mind was deciding to do this to him right now. It wasn't right to torture himself like this.

"Nothing too troublesome," he replied when she asked what he's been up to these days.

He realized that it's been more than several months since he last talked to her. It wasn't awkward but the conversation just wasn't as easy to hold as before. He wondered if she realized that. Perhaps not. She looked happy when he saw her on the streets, in the market and at the hospital. Admittedly he could only see her from a distance but the unmistakable smile was there on her face each time, always it seems, like she didn't want to disappoint herself.

He noticed her change of schedules and movements, of course. She no longer walk the same road, go to the same shop and uses the same training ground; all for the purpose of avoiding him but here she was, smiling freely and talking to him as if nothing had ever happened between them. Was it really that easy to forget about him, when he himself had spent many restless nights because of her? Was she really that indifferent to him? But then why the effort to change agendas and roads that doesn't coincide with his?

She laughed, and he stared. Some story about Naruto and Sai's adventure in the library. He smirked and she probably thought he was agreeing with her about their idiocy. She really had no idea what she was doing to him. But it was okay, nobody knew about them. If he could deal with it silently then it shouldn't be a problem.

It shouldn't be.

But Sakura noticed. She noticed his stare on her wrist, his deep gaze on her face, and his longing looks on her lips. She tried to divert her mind by complaining about her teammates and he smirked. She felt guilty and asked herself why she was doing this to him. They were like brothers to her but in a male company – in his company – it was still somewhat inappropriate to talk about them so fondly. Even Ino, who knew her relationship with her teammates were purely platonic sometimes asked her if something deeper was going on. Obviously not. How can she think like that when her own teammate was holding Sakura's hand under the table next to her?

His lethargic mask was on and even if she looked really carefully, she wouldn't be able to figure him out. He was closing himself up. She might not know what he was feeling but this distance he set between them tells her just how uncomfortable he was right now. She had half the mind to bolt out of the door but something inside of her was firmly keeping her here.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

He looked at her and she fidgeted slightly under his sharp gaze.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine."

She sighed and this time, looked properly into his eyes.

"No, how _are_ you?"

If he was shocked from her question, he didn't show it. He just narrowed his eyes and set his lips in a grim line.

"I don't know what kind of answers you're looking for, Sakura."

"It's been a while, since…"

"I know," he said quickly.

"You?" He shot back.

Sakura was silent for a while before replying,

"Sasuke… he told me he loved me."

He dropped his head and smiled painfully. Just leave it to Sakura to break his heart again and again. He now definitely knows how Naruto felt when he was infatuated with Sakura (Naruto is now dating Hinata after a gruelling process of recognizing his feelings) but he just dealt with it. Things were not meant to be. There's other girls out there, he reminded himself. It's just the matter of finding them which he clearly did not want to do.

"And do you love him back?"

"…of course," she admittedly silently.

He nodded.

Sasuke Uchiha was now the hero of the shinobi countries. His efforts in the war had served him well during his trial in court upon his return to Konoha. His treason and crimes were pardoned and he was welcomed with open arms. He immediately assumed a role in the shinobi politics after his return, dead set in his mission to cleanse his clan's name and purge the evil that grasped the very foundation of Konoha. After years of service, he is now in the upper echelon of Konoha officials, overseeing the village with his red blood eyes.

While Sasuke was a prominent figure in the shinobi world, he was physically absent for a majority part of Sakura's life, before and after the war. Sakura had loved him faithfully but during his absence, she had allowed herself to love another man in secrecy. This man was present, a constant source of comfort and intelligent conversations. Sasuke was busy building power in other countries and Sakura was left behind yet again and this man had taken that opportunity to give her the love she deserved.

It was unintentional, they had simply fallen together like pieces of puzzles. Sakura was hurt so he lent her a shoulder. It was supposedly for that one time only, when she accidentally came crying on the field he spent his lazy days watching the clouds. But then she kept coming back for more. It was only in her interest that he allowed her to cling to him, take the warmth and security she desperately needed. It was all so innocent and private. Just Sakura and him. He didn't realize that it would trouble him in the future.

Days of sharing secret smiles, holding hands under the table and sneaking away behind their friends and family's back came rushing back towards him. It was juvenile for people like them but it had been fun. So much fun. He'd never heard her laugh so freely and smile so easily and looking at her now, it all seemed somewhat subdued. An effect of Sasuke's permanent return to the village no doubt but at the same time, he'd never seen her glow quite as much as she was glowing right now. She's truly happy, he thought as he watch her smile.

"But I didn't tell him that I love him back," she said and if Shikamaru had been paying attention, he would've noticed a hopeful hinting gaze towards him. However, he had turned his head forward, clenching his jaw and told her,

"Then you should."

He wasn't a selfish man, never was a selfish man. He couldn't take away her happiness by feeling remorseful towards their budding romance, if the Uchiha would even call it that. That Uchiha may have the face of a carved stone but everybody can agree that since Sakura was by his side, a lighter change has enveloped him. He, Shikamaru reasoned, needed Sakura more than anybody else. He was broken and Sakura's nature was to heal. They were compatible. Shikamaru meanwhile, was like a leech. Sticking and feeding off her unrivalled love and compassion until he was satisfied.

But he wasn't satisfied.

He still loved her.

And it was his secret to bear.

"I still have it, you know. Your lucky charm," she told him.

"Troublesome woman, you can throw it away."

Sakura looked angry and he was surprised.

"Why? I thought you said it was important to you!"

The Nara clansmen thought it was probably unwise for her to keep a relic from her previous lover, especially when the Uchiha is concerned but it seems to him that Sakura still cares for him in one way or another. The thought warmed his heart but it disturbed his mind. She was hell bent in making his life miserable, wasn't she?

"Troublesome woman…"

She grasped her shirt by her neck and pulled it, plunging a hand into it to grab a chain. Shikamaru watched surprised to see that the silver deer was hanging on her neck glaring at him accusingly for abandoning his promise. His eyes darted back to her angry face, trying to comprehend the situation.

"Stop it, Sakura," he warned her.

Naruto had wanted Sasuke and Sakura to fix themselves together. He had claimed to witness a love between the two that would conquer Sasuke's darkness. Naruto told him that he believed Sakura's heartbreak can be healed by Sasuke. Naruto was as in love with Sakura as Shikamaru was at that time. If a man like Naruto – whose devotion is paramount – could relish his love of Sakura to another man who was more in need, then why couldn't he? Shikamaru had lain his pieces a long time ago and he'd be damned if she ruins it.

"He's never been here. It was always you, Shikamaru."

"You still love him," he accused and felt prickling anger at the sight of her damning tears rolling down her face. Sakura was beautiful when she cries. It was the reason why he'd fallen in love with her in the first place.

"Like I love Naruto, Sai and Kakashi!"

"Oh, great. There's a list?"

"Stop that!" She all but screamed.

"You know what I mean. Why are you trying to hurt yourself?" She asked tearfully.

"Beats me. You're the one who's avoiding me like the plague."

For a minute there, Sakura almost looked like she was confused. Then it dawned on her. Of course. The reason for all the secrecy, the silence.

Sasuke Uchiha.

When Sasuke was reinstated as a Konoha shinobi after the war, she had spent a significant time with him. She was sure that her feelings was already carved in stone so she promised herself to love him, even if he didn't love her back. Naruto tirelessly pushed them together, intent that they be left alone and make that spark happen. Sakura was only glad but she knew Sasuke felt smothered. So when he told her that he was leaving to improve his diplomatic ties, she let him. If he needed space, then she was ready to appease him because she knew Sasuke would come back. Because he had promised her. Deep inside, however, she knew that Sasuke was only doing so due to the guilt that was forced on him by Naruto and herself. He tried to accept them into his life and was slowly relying on them for his rehabilitation. In a way, it was his redemption.

While Sakura spent a lot of time by his side, she couldn't help but feel like it was an obligation. She knew she loved him, but sometimes she wondered if it was the kind of love that she was looking for. The kind of love that she imagined as a child. So she looked for it in Sasuke, and she found none.

They were around twenty years old when Sasuke finally came back from Sound. She walked up to him and smiled. He just looked at her for a few intense second and then slowly pulled her into his embrace. They fitted together, there was warmth but it felt exactly like the hug she felt when she was hugging Naruto – though it was less exuberant and sincere. That was why when he left just a month later back towards Sound to complete his task there, she finally came into a realization and broke down. Hard.

That was the time she blindly ran into the field, and into Shikamaru.

He had glanced at her at that time and as if he understood, mutely offered the space next to him. That was the start of the story between Shikamaru and her. It had been a painful start and she had cried an ocean worth of tears before slowly falling in love with the lazy Nara who had unwittingly won her heart by simply embracing and listening to her.

For her teammates' benefits, they kept their feelings hidden. They shared no looks nor whispers while they were together, leading people to believe that the dynamic in the group had not change. There needn't be any hurt feelings and broken companionship. Their act was that of a betrayal but Sakura was happy than she could ever be and Shikamaru was falling in love. It was sinfully a beautiful time for them.

Until last year, when Sasuke finally settled with his life in Konoha. Sakura had been terrified and worried. She had no way of dealing with this. On one hand, Sasuke needed her. On the other, she was in love with Shikamaru. She had never felt so much pain in her heart; it was as if guilt was bludgeoning her soul until she was left with an unrecognizable feeling. Slowly, she began distancing herself from Shikamaru but only because he was the easiest to physically run from.

"I thought you'd understand," Sakura said brokenly.

Shikamaru gave her a hard stare. Of course he understood her, but that doesn't mean it hurt any less. He knew he couldn't victimize himself, because he already saw this coming and still, he involved himself with her. He was a Nara genius and this was the stupidest and rashest mistake he has ever made in his entire life. Unconsciously, he'd been anticipating his fall all along but still he went through with it when he could've steered clear away from this problem. If there was anyone to blame, it was him.

"Sakura…" he sighed her name tiredly.

Shikamaru should've questioned why she was willing to talk to him again. She should tell him. She should tell him now.

"Shikamaru –"

"I think you should leave," he interrupted her.

"No, wait. Please, listen to me."

"You don't have to do this. We can have a clean break. Right here, right now."

Sakura was sobbing uncontrollably now. She dropped from the sofa and kneeled in front of him, clutching his clothes desperately feeling the wound in her heart threatening to reopen.

"Please, don't. Please, Shikamaru. Listen–"

"Sakura, just go –"

"NO!" she screamed and stood up pushing his hands that were trying to calm her by the shoulders.

"I love you! And it doesn't matter anymore because he knows! He already knows about us so there's no need to –"

"What?" Shikamaru jumped to his feet and ignored the pain in his jaw when he almost shout in disbelief.

"Sasuke – he –" Sakura was hiccupping her words and it was incomprehensible for him.

He grabbed her face with his hands slowly and told her to calm down before explaining. Sakura nodded and clutched the front of his shirt, taking deep breaths. She could feel his heart racing beneath her hands. When the semblance of calmness finally came to her, she looked up to his eyes and finally recounted the event of last week.

* * *

_It was getting dark and Sasuke was walking Sakura home after their dinner at Tofuya Ukai. Sakura had long since abandoned her one-sided chatter in favour of enjoying the silence of the night. Sasuke glanced at her and watched her profile softly lighted by the streetlamps. There was no smile nor a frown and yet, he knew exactly what was going on in her mind. Sakura, to him, was like an open book despite her best efforts to hide its content from him. He inwardly frowned, wondering when she was going to talk to him about it. He had been waiting for a while now and was surprised that Sakura was still reluctant to address this issue with him though he knew it would be hard for her._

_"Sakura," he stopped her and watched as she turned reluctantly towards him._

_"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"_

_"We need to talk."_

_"About what?" She asked, looking at him wearily._

_"I love you."_

_He suddenly said and his words felt like an attack. _

_Her eyes widened and she paled. Not exactly the reaction that the Sakura he knew would give him. No… The Sakura he knew would've blushed and blushed some more under his intense gaze and shyly asked if he was being truthful with his words. Had this been another person, he would've pulled his hidden knife and plunge it deep into their throat for disguising as his teammate, his friend. But this was Sakura; from her pink hair to her green eyes and open soul. And right now, she was staring at him as if it was the end of the world. _

_"You have been patient with me and you've stuck by me since the very beginning. You saved me from the darkness I fell into and just like you promised me when we were twelve, I'm happy with you," he told her but Sakura dropped her head to conceal the tumultuous expression on her face._

_"Sasuke, I…"_

_Sasuke lifted her chin firmly and stared into her eyes, watching the watery green depth of her orbs and saw what he needed to see. He gave an uncharacteristic small smile._

_"You don't have to hide it from me, Sakura. I'm not angry."_

_He saw confusion fleet across her face and slowly he pulled the chain that was peeking out of her neckline. She gasped. He lowered his hand and let the deer fall on her chest. He looked at it gleaming as the light hit its silver smooth surface. _

_He had known this for quite some time and had kept quiet about it, waiting for Sakura to come forward with her confession. For years she had been chained to him, a result of her unyielding love and sympathy for his being. Initially it had been hard but slowly and with her continuous effort, he had begun to accept her help. He had trodden the path of darkness and the pink-haired stood patiently at the end of the road, like a beacon of light offering the sanctuary he needed after years of pain and trauma. He learnt to accept her and all that she promised, and slowly but surely, she began to settle into his life as one of his important people. _

_Therefore, it did not bode well for him to see her suffering silently. Sasuke had keen eyes and his instinct was as sharp and precise like a deadly kunai. When he saw her battling some inner turmoil, he took it upon himself to alleviate her tension as a way to atone his sins. There was no need to describe how he knew about Shikamaru and her, there was no need to talk about his frame of mind regarding the matter. There was just Sakura, receiving what she deserves._

_"I don't expect you to choose a path with me. Many things has happened and changed, this is just one of those instances," he stated and watched as she trembled. "But whatever happens, you will still be my friend."_

_By now, she should understand his clear intentions of setting her free from her commitments to him. She gave a startled sob and lowered her head, hugging herself as if scared that she would break and crumble in front of him. Sakura had become afraid of showing her weaknesses to him and he could see how she was desperately struggling to keep her emotions from exploding. So he gathered her in his arms and although a bit hesitant, kissed her on the top of her head. That was when she truly cried and wailed like an infant. She choked her apologies and between her tears and whimpers she confessed about everything she went through, the pain and guilt and love and –_

_Sasuke understood almost none of what she was trying to say but he got the gist of it. He awkwardly patted her back, still not accustomed to the arts of comforting crying females. He patiently waited until she was done._

_"Thank you, Sasuke."_

_"No…" he pulled her by the shoulders and looked at her in the eyes, "Thank you, Sakura."_

* * *

He was elated beyond believe. His heart soared and he felt like jumping and dancing with joy. The dread he felt when Sakura had screamed to him about Sasuke finding out about them had almost floored him. For a second there he was sure that Sasuke was going to annihilate his existence come hell or high water. The Uchiha was going to find him and blast a Chidori through his heart and beat him into a vegetative state for good measure. Then when she explained the real situation, he had thought that he had acquired some brain damage from Sakura's fist and therefore, thinking that his mind had started to spin make believe stories.

"Are you sure, Sakura?" He stared at her critically and watched her head bobbing up and down affirmatively.

"Woman, you better not be lying to me," he growled searching her tear stricken face for any hints of deception but the pink haired love of his life only shook her head and said quietly but surely,

"I'm not lying, Shikamaru."

"And before that, why did you avoid me? Did you plan to erase me completely from your life?"

"No, never! I just couldn't stand hurting you. I never wanted to hurt you like that Shikamaru. I know that it'll be hard if we keep seeing each other so I tried to stay out of your path…" she said apologetically wanting him to understand that whatever she did, it was always with him in her mind.

He stared deep into her green orbs and saw nothing but honesty and truth behind her words. He took note of the redness of her nose, the flush on her cheeks and the brightness of her emerald eyes as she gazed up at him. She was beautiful and important to him. He thanked the deities for being blessed with a woman like her, violent tendencies and all. She was more trouble than he was used to and yet, she was worth it. He felt the barrier set up between them crumbled down and this time, he understood that nothing will get in their way and rip them apart.

And it appeared that she had felt it too for her soft cries had finally receded, leaving an unmistakeable expression of dawning realization. Her breathing seemed to grow shallower and Shikamaru felt himself reacting similarly as he leaned down closer to her. His arms gathered her closer, one wrapping around her tiny waist while the other slid back to the slender column of her neck.

"Do you love me Sakura?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, eyeing her pink lips with half lidded gaze.

"Yes," she breathed and that was all he needed.

He headily crashed his lips to hers and felt fire burning inside his being. She responded to him with equal fervour. He pulled her closer to him, as if wanting to melt into her body and she gasped from the sheer intensity of his kiss as he sucked and nibbled her lips and then dancing with her tongue in a passionate tango. He treaded his hand into her silky pink locks and the arm around her body tightened even more.

There was no inhibition and no warning voice to hiss at Shikamaru for being reckless again because now… now, Sakura was his and his alone. There was no hiding and worrying for the consequences so he wholly indulged himself in the taste of the woman in his arms.

A gasp tore from her lips when Shikamaru pulled her head back and attacked her neck next. The heady sensation intensified as he licked and sucked the supple skin and she moaned with pleasure. A rush of her sweet scent invaded his senses and he welcomed it fully.

"Shikamaru…"

The murmur broke into his mind and reluctantly pulled his attached lips from her neck to look at her. She pulled back, staring at him with glazed eyes and swollen lips. He was as breathless as she was and they both continued to stare at each other. The flush and glow in her face made her look ethereal from the explosive kiss they just shared.

A smile broke into his face and he chuckled deeply, lowering his forehead to hers. She laughed softly, lowering the wrapped arms around his neck to lower them until her small hands landed on his chest. They stood like that for what seemed an eternity before Sakura spoke again.

"Happy Birthday, Shikamaru."

"Thank you," he said, and kissed her forehead.

"Hey, Sakura," the woman lifted her eyes up to him questioningly.

"You didn't give me a birthday present."

Sakura laughed and then smiled cheekily, "Sorry, I didn't get you any."

"Hurtful," he commented feigning pain in his chest, clutching the shirt above his heart. He smirked when she continued to laugh.

"Okay, tell me what you want then, Shikamaru. I'll get it to you the first thing in the morning," she promised.

Shikamaru just shook his head and said,

"I want it now, please."

"No shop is open at this time of the night, yeesh, Shika!"

Shikamaru just laughed and flicked her nose and said,

"I know."

"Hey!"

They both laughed again into the night. Once the laughing subdued, Sakura looked up and noticed Shikamaru looking at her with that familiar dark brown eyes. The expressions swimming across his orbs were unreadable but it was there. She felt a tug in her chest and remembered the nights they would spend just looking into each other's eyes. Then, all of the sudden, she giggled.

He quirked an eyebrow and the wordless "what?" was understood by Sakura.

"I feel like I'm in a romantic drama with a mummy," she explained.

"Thanks to you," he grumbled.

She just buried her face into his chest though he could still feel the tremor of laughter reverberating through her body.

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"Stay the night with me."

"Okay," she agreed.

Shikamaru smiled. He didn't feel as upset as he was when he woke up in the morning and the thought of falling asleep tonight with Sakura in his arms makes him the happiest man on earth. They had gone through a lot and he vowed to see Sasuke if only to thank him. In a way, he was the first man that had awoken the love and compassion out of Sakura and had pushed her to become the strong woman that she is today. He had also released Sakura from the burden of being with the man she doesn't love. Sakura didn't need Sasuke's permission but she hadn't been able to make a choice because this troublesome woman was not selfish and had always put forward the happiness of others before herself. He had to thank Sasuke for saving her from an unhappy future.

At least with him, Sakura would have what she wanted and Shikamaru would give his all to secure the smile on her face. And although she didn't get him any present, she being his was enough.

Out of all his birthday, this was his best one yet.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

* * *

_Hello._

_I have been a fan of ShikaSaku for years and couldn't help but want to write a story of my own with this pairing. Obviously I'm not a pro writer and I do know that there's a bunch of grammar mistakes up there so if you find any don't be hesitant to tell me. Also, sorry for the cheesy romance drama. Couldn't help it. lol. I thought Sasuke and Sakura as characters with dramatic tendencies so that might've affected how I wrote them. hehe. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story and review. Have a good day!_


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